I'll Stand By You
by NY BrAt 007
Summary: *Chapter 8* Stacy journey with being tormented by Victoria ends here. And things that should have remained hidden, suddenly find themsleves in the wrong hands.
1. 1

This is something new for me. These aren't really people I'm used to writing about and this whole inspiration came from watching RAW last night and the interactions between Stacy Keibler and Victoria. Plus I think that Stacy and Test make the cutest couple. I don't know. But I do know where the story is going so there shouldn't be that much of a delay on the updates.  
  
PS: The Pretenders own the song "I'll Stand By You"  
  
  
  
Stacy Keibler opened the door to her room, looked around cautiously, and then breathed a sigh of relief as she walked in. She shut the door quickly and then jumped when she heard the knocking.  
  
"Hey Stacy, it's me!" Andrew called.  
  
"Okay." She responded quietly. She unlocked the door and let him in, realizing that she felt safe now that he was there.  
  
He sat down on one of the chairs and studied her for a minute before speaking. "Are you alright? You've been acting kind of strange lately."  
  
You'd be acting strange too if a psychopath like Victoria was terrorizing you, Stacy wanted to say right away. Instead she just shrugged. She couldn't say anything or else; well she had been threatened. "I haven't been sleeping that well." She answered. At least that was the truth.  
  
Andrew grinned and she felt her heart melt. "Well you know if you need anything all you have to do is talk to me." He said.  
  
Stacy sighed and gave him a long hug. "I know, thank you." She rested her head on his shoulder so he couldn't see the tears coming to her eyes. She glanced up at her reflection in the mirror, saw the uncertainty and fear, and then lowered her gaze. That was not something she wanted to see right now.  
  
  
  
  
  
Oh why you look so sad  
  
Tears are in your eyes  
  
Come on and come to me now  
  
  
  
"Hey, aren't you coming to bed?" Andrew asked curiously, watching his girlfriend as she paced and kept looking down at her watch.  
  
Stacy shook her head at his question and pulled her long-sleeved shirt over her head. "I'll be right back. I just need to talk to someone real quick."  
  
"You're not cheating on me, right?" He asked, only half-joking.  
  
"I would never dream of it." She assured, giving him a light kiss on the lips. "You don't have to wait up." He nodded slowly and she slipped quietly out the door.  
  
She looked down at the room number printed on her palm and found the room she was looking for. She swallowed dryly and raised her fist to knock when the door swung open.  
  
"You can never fucking get here on time, can you?" The person snapped, grabbing Stacy by the arm and yanking her inside. A blindfold was immediately placed over her eyes and she knew what was going to happen next.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Now go back to your boyfriend. God knows why he would want you though you worthless bitch."  
  
Stacy felt herself being shoved out of the room and she fell to the floor. The door slammed behind her and she tentatively reached up and removed the blindfold. She held onto the wall for support and lifted herself up, making sure to get as far away from the door as she could before attempting that.  
  
The lighting was dim in the hallway and she strained her eyes to find her room, finally doing so after fifteen minuets of searching. She opened the door and shut it behind her quietly. She turned around half-expecting to see darkness and instead Andrew was in bed, just reading.  
  
He smiled when he saw her and put the book down. "What's wrong?" He asked after taking in her shaken-up appearance. She didn't answer him and he got up and wrapped his arms around her, quickly noticing that she was trembling. He held her at arms length and repeated the question.  
  
"It's nothing. There were just these guys in the hall saying some stuff." She replied and stopped him as he started towards the door. "Don't, it's not worth it. Let's just go to sleep."  
  
He agreed reluctantly and eventually they both fell asleep.  
  
  
  
Don't be ashamed to cry  
  
Let me see you through  
  
Cause I've seen the dark side too  
  
  
  
"Miss Keibler, Mr. Bischoff would like a word with you." The stagehand said briefly before disappearing to run some more errands.  
  
Stacy nodded and fixed the cuff of her jeans before making her way towards the General Manager's office. She stopped in front of the door and knocked quietly before pushing the door open. She was relieved to find him alone and sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk.  
  
Eric typed a bit more into the computer and then turned to her. "Do you have any reason why I asked you in my office today?"  
  
"None whatsoever." She answered truthfully.  
  
He folded his hands and looked up. "There have been some people coming up to me and expressing their concern for you. They said you haven't been acting like yourself lately and you seem more distant." He paused. "Is there anything that you want to talk to me about? Any concerns you may have?"  
  
Stacy wanted to tell him, just tell him and then everything would be fine and she'd be back to normal and- " No." She replied, interrupting her own thoughts. "I'm honestly touched that everyone's worried about me but I'm fine. I may not be getting a lot of sleep, but something like that can be easily fixed." She watched as he kept the uncertain look on his face a minute longer and then he smiled.  
  
He reached out and they shook hands. "Just remember if you need to talk my door's always open." He assured.  
  
Stacy stood up. It sounded better when Andrew said it. "Thank you Mr. Bischoff, I appreciate it." She walked out of the room and immediately bumped into the person she least wanted to.  
  
"You had better not be telling Bischoff." Victoria snapped, grabbing Stacy by the hair and pulling her head back. "Because you know what's going to happen if you do." She suddenly looked up in alarm and pretended to be smoothing Stacy's hair down as Trish approached them. "So do you see how well the shampoo works?"  
  
Trish looked at them suspiciously.  
  
"Yeah." Stacy stammered. "Thanks for the tip, it does work well. Hey Trish." She greeted weakly.  
  
"Hi." Trish responded slowly, still looking at Victoria like she didn't trust her. "What's going on?" She asked.  
  
Victoria smiled widely. "I was just telling Stacy about this trick that my stylist recommended for me. You wanna hear?"  
  
Trish shook her head. "No, no that's fine. I have my own stylist thanks."  
  
"Do you think you're too good for me or something?" Victoria said evenly.  
  
"I don't think I'm too good for you." Trish smirked. "I know I am." She caught Victoria's hand as it came towards her face and reversed it, sending the brunette tumbling to the ground. "Don't mess with me." She said simply, causing Victoria to scowl.  
  
Stacy glanced between the two and slowly backed away from the oncoming disagreement. That wasn't something she wanted to be in the middle of. Plus she knew it was going to come later anyway.  
  
  
  
Read and Review please!!! I'd really appreciate it! 


	2. 2

You guys are the best! I can't believe I got such positive feedback for just the first chapter. I know I've taken such a long time to get this out, but I've been loaded down with school and work and Christmas shopping. Thanks for being patient with me! The Pretenders own 'I'll Stand By You'  
  
  
  
Stacy tapped her fingers nervously on the desk in front of her. She was waiting for her friend to pick up the phone, but so far there was no answer. "Torrie, it's Stacy. Just give me a call when you get this. I really need to talk to you about something. I guess it's kinda important so you need to call me back. I know I keep saying this but I'm sca-"  
  
Victoria glanced down at the now un-conscious blonde and smirked. She reached down and picked up the phone that was still waiting for the rest of the message to be recorded. Turning the phone off, she rolled Stacy over and placed a pill bottle into her left hand. Victoria scattered some of the small pink pills around the diva and took the phone of the hook so no calls could get through.  
  
She walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. Walking to her own room, she laughed quietly to herself and waited for the fun to begin.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"So what do you think of this one?" Torrie Wilson asked, holding up a shirt to her body.  
  
Billy Kidman looked at it critically for a minute and shook his head. "I don't like that one. And anyway, this is the fifth store we've been to, can't we go home yet?"  
  
"No." Torrie answered simply. "I have a match against Dawn tonight for my dad's attention and I need to find something that will blow her out of the water." She looked down into her purse and pulled out her cell phone, noting she had one new message.  
  
"Why are girls so obsessed with the way they look?" Billy muttered. "Honestly." He glanced over and immediately saw the puzzled look on his fiancé's face. "Torrie what's up?"  
  
"Nothing." She replied with a shrug. "Stacy just left me a message and she got cut off. I had no idea my messages were that short."  
  
Billy nodded. "Yeah, it does give you a ridiculously short amount of time to let you record a message."  
  
Torrie looked down at her phone one more time and sighed. "It was probably nothing." She remarked, pulling another shirt off the rack. "Well then how do you like this one?"  
  
*~*~*  
  
After what felt like a couple of hours, Stacy regained consciousness. She tried to open her eyes but that task proved too difficult so she contented herself with listening to the voices and noises around her.  
  
"Do you know what happened or how many she took?"  
  
"I just came into the room and found her like this."  
  
"Find me like what?" Stacy managed out quietly, still keeping her eyes shut.  
  
"Stacy, are you awake?" The unfamiliar voice asked. "If you can hear me you need to wake up or open your eyes."  
  
"Come on Stacy." Andrew pleaded. "Just open your eyes. Look at me."  
  
After a few painful moments, she opened one eye and then the other. "Where am I?" She asked, trying to pull herself up in an upright position.  
  
"How many of these did you take?" The EMT demanded, shoving the empty bottle into her line of vision.  
  
"I don't know what those are." Stacy answered, holding the back of her head as Andrew supported her shoulders.  
  
The EMT looked over her head at Andrew and sort of shook his head before turning back to Stacy. "We're going to have to admit you to the hospital overnight."  
  
"But why? I didn't take any of those things-what are they?"  
  
"They're pills." The medic started, addressing the response more towards Andrew. "That females normally take that, um, suppress the diet if you get what I'm trying to say."  
  
"I know what you're trying to say." Stacy snapped, pushing against her boyfriend as he tried to keep her down. "You think that I'm taking pills to help me stay thin." She held her arms away from herself. "Look at me!" She directed. "Do I look like I need help staying thin? I'm gorgeous!"  
  
"There's always resistant when hearing something like this for the first time." The medic, whose nametag read 'Steve', proclaimed.  
  
Stacy waved her hands in front of his face. "I'm right here. You don't need to keep talking to Andrew like I'm not even fucking here. I'm not going to the hospital." She added stubbornly as he got up to help her. "You can go if you want but I'm staying right here."  
  
*~*~*  
  
"We have some information about one of your superstars Mr. Bischoff." One of the medical staff said to the GM a couple of days later.  
  
Eric looked up from some paperwork and a concerned expression was clearly evident on his face. "What happened? Is anyone hurt?"  
  
The girl tilted her head to the left slightly. "Not really hurt, but Stacy was taken to the hospital Friday night because they thought she had overdosed on some diet pills."  
  
"Why'd they think that?" He asked.  
  
"Andrew found her in her room and she was unconscious with pills all around." She said matter-of-factly. "At first she didn't want to go to the hospital, but her boyfriend talked her into it. They didn't actually find anything in her." She pressed on. "But they said something like there's always the possibility and that's funny because I've always had the feeling that she was insecure about something."  
  
"Where the hell do you go around talking about her like that?" Trish Stratus demanded. The younger girl's mouth dropped open and Trish put her hands on he hips. "Honestly, and please tell me where you get your information because I'd love to know who's ass I need to go kick."  
  
"Trish, calm down." Eric said immediately. He dismissed the assistant with a wave of her hand and she gladly rushed out of the room.  
  
"How can you let her sit here and talk about Stacy like that?" Trish reprimanded her boss. "She has no idea what's going on. And even if something was going on with Stacy, I'm not saying there is, but if there was she'd have no right going around talking about it."  
  
Eric motioned for her to sit down and she accepted his offer. "Listen to me, Stacy is one of the key assets of our Monday night programming and I need to know right now if something is going on with her."  
  
Trish let her arms fall to her side helplessly. "I wish I knew. She's one of my best friends and I wish she'd talk to me about whatever is going on."  
  
  
  
  
  
When the night falls on you  
  
And you don't know what to do  
  
  
  
Nothing you confess  
  
  
  
  
  
Could make me love you less  
  
  
  
There were more then a few curious glances. Rumors and speculations were flying as Stacy walked backstage before the RAW taping. Just from passing by, she heard they thought that she got into a fight at some nightclub and lost or that she had taken some drugs. She shook her head slowly, causing blonde hair to cascade across her face and into her line of vision.  
  
Somebody grabbed her arm and she quickly looked up in alarm.  
  
"What's up Stacy?" D-Von Dudley asked her.  
  
A wave of relief rushed over her and she smiled. "Nothing really. How've you been? I saw your incredible return at Survivor Series, totally kicked ass."  
  
He grinned and pushed up the glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. "It did kick ass, didn't it." The two started walking and he looked up in time to see Victoria approaching the, the usual look of disdain on her face.  
  
"I need to talk to Stacy alone." She said evenly, not even trying to disguise the disgust in her voice.  
  
D-Von shook his head. "Yeah, I don't see that happening anytime soon so you can just go along on your happy way."  
  
Stacy swallowed nervously as she saw the psycho bitch's face turn into a scowl. "I don't see how this is any of your business." She snapped.  
  
"You should actually be listening to D-Von here." Another voice added form behind her. "Or else it could prove hazardous to your health."  
  
Victoria whirled around and came ace to chest with the other 300+ pound Dudley. She made a grab for Stacy's arm but was stopped by Spike, the smallest of the three.  
  
"Buh-bye." Bubba said, waving to her mockingly.  
  
"Thanks guys." Stacy said quietly. "I didn't know you still cared."  
  
"Of course we care about you." Bubba exclaimed. "Where would we be without our Duchess?"  
  
  
  
Don't forget to read & review! Happy Holidays! 


	3. 3

Wow, I'm doing pretty damn good with this updating thing. It's not very often but when I do, it's major!  
  
  
  
Andrew Martin got up from the weight machine he was working with and stared at his best friend in disbelief. "You have too much time on your hands. That's all I gotta say."  
  
"Ya think?" RVD asked, detangling himself from the complicated stretch he was currently putting his body through. He set the free weights down as well and stood up. "Nah, you're just jealous of my skills."  
  
"That has to be it." Andrew muttered with a small grin.  
  
A faint ringing started that could barely be heard over the buzz of the gym and RVD reached into Andrew's bag and tossed him his cell phone.  
  
"Hello?" He answered, looking back at Rob warily as he began a whole new set of routines for his body.  
  
"Andrew?" A faint voice asked.  
  
He could barely understand the voice because the connection kept breaking up. "Yeah, this is me. Trish, is that you?"  
  
"It's me, yeah. Get to the hospital as soon as you can."  
  
Andrew sat up straight form the lounging position on the floor. "Why, what's wrong? Is everyone okay?" His end of the conversation now had Rob's attention, who was listening intently.  
  
"It's Stacy." Trish answered quietly and he felt his heart drop as he dropped the phone to the floor.  
  
"I gotta go." He said briefly to his friend, nearly sprinting out of the room.  
  
Rob glanced between the retreating figure, his bags still left on the floor, and finally the phone that was still blinking. "Trish, is that you?" He asked after picking up the phone.  
  
There was no answer and he shut the phone off with a shrug.  
  
  
  
  
  
I'll stand by you  
  
I'll stand by you  
  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
  
I'll stand by you  
  
Bubba and D-Von looked up at the figure that burst into the waiting room on the fifth floor. Andrew skidded to a stop in front of them and stared, worry evident on his voice.  
  
"We don't know what happened." Bubba supplied before the words could even get out of Andrew's mouth. "We were leaving the arena after our match and we saw Trish and she ran up to us and was crying hysterically and pointing." They took the time to glance over at the blonde diva, who was trying to be comforted by Lita. "Spike stayed with her and we went to investigate when we found Stacy. She looked like she was on the receiving end of a terrible beating. There was blood all over the place and the bruises. But there was no one in the room when we got there." He finished finally and both D-Von and Andrew looked like they were going to be sick.  
  
"Can I go in to see her?" He asked either of the two Dudleys.  
  
"The doctors won't let anyone see her right now." Trish answered as she approached them slowly. "They said she's in too bad of a condition." She smiled weakly. "I just think they wouldn't want us to see her like she is."  
  
"Why?" Andrew asked, feeling the fear rise to his chest.  
  
"I already told you." Bubba replied impatiently. "And no offense, but I don't want to repeat it again." He leaned over and cupped his hand around his ear. "I don't want to upset Trish anymore then she already is too."  
  
Victoria suddenly rushed into the waiting room and Trish visibly tensed up.  
  
"Is she okay?" She asked urgently, a worried look on her face. "I heard something happened to Stacy. Is she hurt?"  
  
"You tell me." Trish snapped, stalking up to the brunette. She shook her arm free from D-Von's grasp and stood toe-to-toe with Victoria.  
  
Her smile faltered a bit but shook her head. "Trish, what are you talking about? Stacy's my friend just like she is yours and I want her to be okay."  
  
"Like hell you do." Trish hissed. "I don't know what's going on between you guys but I'm sure as hell going to find out. Stacy is my real friend and if you're doing anything to hurt her I'll make sure to personally break your neck."  
  
So if you're mad, get mad  
  
Don't hold it all inside  
  
Come on and talk to me now  
  
"You honestly think you could do something to me?" Victoria scoffed. "The only thing you know how to do is prance around the ring acting like a damn slut."  
  
"Oh no you just didn't." Trish asked her eyes blazing. "You're a crazy psycho bitch who gets her kicks out of tormenting people until they go insane, now isn't that right?"  
  
Victoria smirked. "Yeah, pretty much."  
  
"You bitch!" Trish exclaimed, lunging after the unsuspecting girl. They both fell to the ground and Trish started slamming her head against the floor. Suddenly two arms encircled her waist and she was lifted off of Victoria and held back. "Andrew, I swear to God you better let me go."  
  
Victoria was being held back by D-Von and looked like she wanted to get at Trish as much as Trish wanted to get at her.  
  
A few security guards rushed into the room and spotted the small crowd that had formed around the two girls.  
  
"What's going on here?" The taller one demanded, stepping in between the two. There was no answer. "I'm going to have to ask both of you to leave then, since nobody feels the need to tell me what the hell is going on."  
  
Trish brushed her hair away from her face. "That psycho was saying stuff about my friend, who she, by the way, put into the hospital and I got pissed."  
  
"Do you have proof?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
He rolled his eyes. "That this girl was the one that put your friend into the hospital."  
  
Trish frowned. "Well, not exactly. But I know it was her." She nodded her head emphatically.  
  
"Oh well, as long as we have your word to go on. Let's arrest her Charlie." The shorter one added sarcastically. He turned to address the two. "This is a hospital. As tempting as it is to see two lovely ladies rolling around on the floor, the patients need to recuperate."  
  
"Sexist pig." Trish muttered, watching the retreating guards.  
  
A doctor entered the room and looked down at his clipboard. "I can allow one person to go see Miss Keibler."  
  
Trish brushed past everyone else and stood in front of the man. "I want to go see her first."  
  
He obliged and led her quickly to her friend's room.  
  
"Where the hell does she get off going to see Stacy first?" Andrew demanded and both Dudleys smirked.  
  
"The girl wants something, nobody's going to get in her way." D-Von said. "Which is why I'd absolutely hate to be Victoria right about now."  
  
READ & REVIEW!!  
  
*Yawn* I am so tired. I think I just spent two straight hours typing. I need to go get some food! 


	4. 4

Yeah, I'm definitely not sure what I'm doing. Um, hope you like this part. The Pretenders still own the song and I own nothing. One more chapter should be out before Christmas, which means I'm going to be writing my butt off when I get home from work today! READ & REVIEW!!  
  
BTW: Just to let ya guys know, Victoria didn't get arrested last chapter. The security guy said it sarcastically but then the both just left, leaving the two in the waiting room. Just had to clear that up!  
  
  
  
Trish knocked on the door lightly and only pushed it open when she heard the faint voice saying it was okay. It took her a minute to get used to the dim lighting and she almost tripped over a cord on the floor. "Stacy, do you want me to come back another time?"  
  
"No, you're fine." She said quietly.  
  
"What happened to you?" Trish asked. "You look like hell."  
  
"Thanks." Stacy replied dryly. "How would you feel if I told you that you did too?"  
  
Trish grinned. "I'd probably believe you." She sat down on the chair next to her friend's bed and studied her for a minute. The whole left side of Stacy's face was bruised up, making it impossible for her to open her eye. There was a gash from the bottom of her chin to the top of her collarbone and her left wrist was already in a cast. "Who did this?" She asked finally.  
  
Stacy looked over at her slowly and frowned. "I have no idea." She answered shortly before turning her attention back to the television.  
  
"Was it Victoria?"  
  
There was silence for a minute and then Stacy shook her head. "No, where would you get that idea from?"  
  
"From the fact that the girl is a complete psycho." Trish said simply. "What is she doing to you and why won't you tell anyone?"  
  
"It wasn't her." Stacy snapped, causing the other blonde to jump. "Why can't you seem to get off of that?" She took a few deep breaths. "I'm getting a little tired. I think you should leave now."  
  
Hey, what you got to hide?  
  
I get angry too  
  
Well I'm a lot like you  
  
Stacy watched Trish leave without another word and felt the tears well up in her eyes. The door opened once more and Andrew stepped in tentatively. She brushed the tears away impatiently and put a believable smile on her face. "Hey Sweetie." She near whispered as he sat down in the same chair Trish had vacated.  
  
"You don't look tired anymore." He observed quickly, taking her hand in his.  
  
"I just didn't want to talk to Trish anymore." Stacy said, her smile starting to falter. "Nothing's going on either." She added before he had a chance to ask.  
  
He grinned. "How'd ya know I was going to ask you that?"  
  
"Because that seems to be the only question people are asking me nowadays." She reasoned.  
  
"Well you know that if anything's the matter you can come talk to me, no matter what it is."  
  
Stacy scowled and pulled her hand away from his grasp. "How comforting." She said sarcastically.  
  
Andrew looked at he strangely. "The only thing you're doing is distancing yourself away from the people who love you. And we can't help if you don't tell us what's wrong."  
  
Stacy rolled her eyes. "Since when were you a licensed psychiatrist?"  
  
"Big words for someone like you." He shot back.  
  
"Get out." Stacy ordered quietly. He started to say something but she cut him off. "Please, I don't want to talk to you right now."  
  
*~*~*  
  
Trish was eyeing the door as it opened and saw Andrew walk out, a dejected look on his face. She didn't bother asking what was wrong as he sat down next to her with a sigh.  
  
"She doesn't want any help." He said simply and Trish nodded.  
  
"I know. And if she doesn't want it, we can't get involved."  
  
"Says who?"  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Did you see what kind of shape she was in? It was terrific." Victoria exclaimed gleefully into the phone. "It was great. I think she pissed Andrew and Trish off too-what do you mean how do I know? I just know. They had these looks on their faces when they left her room that were absolutely priceless.No I'm not, you're just as bad as I am and don't you dare try to tell me otherwise.Not unless you want me to tell everyone.that's what I thought. I'll get into contact with you soon.Yeah, whatever. Bye." She threw the cell phone down onto the hotel bed and threw herself down next to it, rubbing her hands together. Everything was going according to plan. Stacy was alienating herself from her boyfriend and friends.  
  
Victoria frowned and propped herself with her elbow. But then there was the problem with Trish-she knew something and was going to try everything in her power to reveal Victoria's plan. She flipped over and punched the pillow in frustration. They'd have to do something about Trish too, and that was not part of the plan. "Whatever's necessary though." She said quietly to herself, reaching over and flipping off the light.  
  
She had been asleep for what felt like a few minutes when a loud knocking woke her up. Victoria glanced over at the clock, which read 2:27, and groaned. She pulled on her bathrobe and trudged over to the door.  
  
The person started pounding on the door again and she opened it reluctantly and was met with a fist to the face. Whoever it was tied a cloth around her mouth and bound her hands and feet together.  
  
"Now, let's play a little game."  
  
In her groggy state, she could barely make out the voice but all memory was erased as things went black.  
  
  
  
Honestly, I have no idea where I'm going with this, but isn't that half the fun?? 


	5. 5

Okay, just a little warning. This chapter is really long. Well not like unbearably long but definitely the longest chapter of this story. I don't know, I just started writing and ahh, out came five pages. I think it's good but I guess that's for you guys to decide! The Pretenders own the song, I own the idea. Good trade-off, right? Sure, why not.  
  
  
  
"No visitors today Miss Keibler?" The elderly nurse asked politely, bringing in a fresh pillow.  
  
Stacy shook her head and folded her arms across her chest, staring outside at the rain that was pouring down. "No, nobody likes me anymore."  
  
"Oh well, I find that very hard to believe. You're a very beautiful young lady." She added, picking up the chart hanging at the foot of the bed.  
  
"Looking good isn't everything." Stacy muttered, not entirely believing those words had just come out of her mouth. "I kind of alienated myself from the rest of my friends."  
  
The nurse looked down quickly at her watch and sat down in the chair next to Stacy's bed. "Why would you do that, if you don't mind me asking? I remember seeing that very handsome man in here for you a couple of days ago."  
  
Stacy almost told her. In fact, she was this close to getting everything out in the open, even if it was to her nurse. "I'm not really sure." She said instead, looking down at her hands. There was a brief knock on the door and both women looked up.  
  
"Can I help you sir?" The nurse asked, a wary expression on her face. This man hadn't been in to see Stacy before, who was he?  
  
"I just came to see how Stacy was doing." He said briskly.  
  
"Okay." She allowed uncertainly. "But please try and make it quick."  
  
Stacy frowned as she saw the nurse shut the door and Steven Richards was smiling at her.  
  
"What did you do to her?" He demanded suddenly, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Stacy replied stubbornly, almost feeling like holding up her chin too.  
  
"Like hell you don't." He snapped, grabbing her bad arm and applying as much pressure as he could.  
  
Her eyes started watering from the pain and she struggled to get from his grasp. "I don't know what you're talking about." She gasped out while biting her lip to prevent the flow of tears.  
  
"Let's see if I can make you remember."  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Are you sure she's going to want to see you?"  
  
Trish nodded into the phone, even though Andrew couldn't see her. "I hope so. Listen, I gotta go. Later." She hung up and slipped the phone into her pocket, switching the flowers from her right hand to her left. "I'm just here to see Stacy." She said to one of the nurses.  
  
One of the oldest ones behind the desk rushed up to Trish. "She has another visitor right now but go in as fast as you can. I don't think he was up to any good."  
  
Trish's heart dropped in her chest and threw the flowers on the ground, sprinting over to her door. She heard the sounds of struggling and pushed it open. "Get the hell off of her!" She yelled frantically, rushing over and pulling Steven Richards, who was holding a pillow over Stacy's face, off of her. She quickly punched him in the nose, sending him staggering back, a scowl on his face.  
  
A couple of security guards rushed into the room and all Trish could do was point at him while comforting Stacy.  
  
"What happened?" She asked quietly, smoothing Stacy's hair away from her face in an attempt to calm her down.  
  
Stacy didn't say anything at first and just watched as Richards was led out of the room in handcuffs for further questioning.  
  
"Honey, please tell me what happened." Trish pleaded.  
  
"I can't." Stacy whispered. "I promised her that I wouldn't and then she threatened me."  
  
When you're standing at the crossroads  
  
And don't know which path to choose  
  
Let me come along  
  
'Cause even if you're wrong.  
  
  
  
"Who?"  
  
Stacy took a deep breath and put a hand to her head. "Victoria."  
  
*~*~*  
  
Trish looked over at Stacy with a concerned look on her face, while trying to keep her focus on the road. Stacy looked pale and even thinner then usual; the sweatshirt and shorts she was wearing seemed to engulf her. Her hair, which was dirty and the blonde starting to fade, was pulled back and tucked underneath a baseball cap and she had a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. She was staring out the window and had her legs tucked up underneath her.  
  
'How had we noticed this?' Trish scolded herself silently. 'It hadn't been that hard to see'.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
Trish jumped at the sound of the voice and was snapped out of her trance. "Andrew wanted to see how you were doing so we're going over to his apartment."  
  
Stacy shook her head in response but said nothing, watching the buildings as they flew by.  
  
Ten minutes later Trish pulled to a stop in front of the apartment complex. She parked the car and helped Stacy out and she looked up to see Andrew standing at the open door, a heartbroken look on his face as he took in the appearance of his girlfriend.  
  
Stacy tried giving him a weak smile as he pulled her up into a hug and ended up bursting into tears.  
  
"Sweetie calm down. We're going to help you." He whispered into her ear and he helped her up the stairs with Trish following close behind.  
  
She nodded numbly and allowed herself to be bright up the stairs and finally settled on the couch while the other two began talking in the kitchen.  
  
"So what are we gonna do?" Trish asked quietly as she hoisted herself up on the counter.  
  
Andrew shook his head. "Not sure. But you said that Richards was there, and that she admitted it was Victoria doing all of this stuff?" Trish nodded. "And then on the car ride over she said Richards accused her of having something to do with, someone?"  
  
Trish shrugged. "Apparently and I'm assuming he was talking about Victoria. But I called a bunch of people of nobody knows what happened to her or where she went. We might have someone on our side after all." She added with a small smile.  
  
"It's not going to do us any good if we don't know who it is though." Andrew reasoned. "And we can't exactly get in touch with whoever it is to thank them for taking care of her."  
  
"Don't say it like that." Trish said forcefully. "You make it sound like they killed Victoria or something."  
  
"Would anybody care?" Andrew questioned and Trish was silent so he smirked. "Exactly my point."  
  
"Did you call Bischoff yet to tell him the situation?"  
  
"I tried getting in touch with him but his secretary said he was out." Andrew replied as he started to open some cupboards, taking out random things as he went along.  
  
Trish watched for a minute before curiosity came over her. "So whatcha doing exactly?"  
  
"Did you see her? She's apparently sick and way too thin, so I'm going to make her something to eat." Andrew said proudly as he pulled a pot out from underneath the stove.  
  
"Your intentions are noble." Trish started with a grin. "But I have yet to meet a man who can cook a decent meal. You go sit with her and I'll make the food."  
  
He reluctantly agreed and Trish shook her head and smiled to herself. She'd have to remind Stacy not to let that one get away.  
  
~*Two Weeks Later*~  
  
"It's about time you woke up Sleeping Beauty." Andrew joked as Stacy shuffled into the room that Monday morning, her eyes still not completely opened as she stumbled into a wall. She mumbled an answer in response and pulled the robe tighter around her as she made her way to the couch where he was sitting.  
  
They watched television for a few minutes when he broke the silence.  
  
"So you've decided to come back today?"  
  
She nodded sleepily and then rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm gonna kick Victoria's ass."  
  
Andrew nearly choked on the juice he had just taken a sip of. "Excuse me? You're going to do what?"  
  
Stacy grinned and it changed the way she looked completely. "I talked Eric into giving me a match against the psycho bitch tonight. He was very reluctant but I told him Trish had been working on some moves with me."  
  
"Trish has been doing what?" Andrew repeated, still dumbfounded.  
  
"Calm down." Stacy ordered, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I asked Trish to give me a few lessons and Edge was there so he helped me out too. I gotta pretty good résumé behind me if I do say so myself." She said, sitting back with a proud look on her face.  
  
Andrew put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him and kissed her on the forehead. "I just hope you know what you're doing."  
  
  
  
I'll stand by you  
  
I'll stand by you  
  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
  
I'll stand by you  
  
As soon as Stacy stepped backstage she knew they had been talking and gossiping again. Only a few of the wrestlers knew what exactly had happened as well as nearly all of the Divas and they were the ones who gave her the encouraging smiles. All the rest didn't know what to say or even how to look at her, so they avoided her.  
  
She shook her head and grinned, hoisting her bag over her shoulder.  
  
"How ya feeling Stace?" Bubba called from the other side of the room she entered to get the script.  
  
"I'm doing really good." She replied sincerely. "Thanks for asking." He had a concerned look on his face and she laughed. "What is it?"  
  
"Why do you want to fight her?" He asked simply, holding up the script to the allotted page.  
  
She shrugged. "Just something I feel I need to do I guess. Or else I just really want to put all of this behind me."  
  
He nodded understandably. "Fair enough. Just know that if Richards starts some shit like interfering in the match or something, me an' D-Von will be out there in a split second to kick his ass for ya."  
  
"For some reason I don't doubt that." Stacy said with a grin. "But including you guys, I should be pretty well protected."  
  
"What do you mean?" Bubba asked.  
  
"Well." She started. "I've already gotten the same offers from RVD, Jeff, um, Jericho, Trish, and there was someone else." She paused and tried to remember the last name. "Oh yeah, Kane." She finished.  
  
"We're gonna come out too." Bubba promised. "I'll see you later." He called over his shoulder as he left the room.  
  
"I know you guys will." Stacy said to herself, feeling extremely fortunate to have the supportive friends that she did. She took a deep breath and headed towards the locker room she was sharing with Trish and Jackie.  
  
She made it through the halls with no troubles from Victoria and her psycho boyfriend and pushed open the door without bothering to knock.  
  
Jackie and Trish were already both there. Trish was standing in front of the mirror and applying some make-up and Jackie was lounging on the ground, a book in one hand and a 5-pound weight in the other.  
  
"Hey girls." She announced, setting her bag on the bench.  
  
Trish waved from her spot and Jackie set the book down and grinned. "You look a lot better then last time I saw you." She commented, standing up and giving Stacy a hug.  
  
"Thanks." Stacy replied, unzipping her bag. "Trish and Andrew played doctor for two weeks so I'm feeling-"  
  
"And looking." Trish added with a smile.  
  
"A whole lot better." Stacy finished, grinning at her friend.  
  
"Well I know you're going to do just fine." Jackie assured. "When do you go out?"  
  
"Second match, I believe." Stacy remembered, pulling on a pair of dark pink shorts and a matching halter-top from her bag. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and then glanced at her not-so-Stacy-like appearance in the mirror. "This looks so weird." She complained loudly.  
  
Jackie and Trish both rolled their eyes.  
  
"No it doesn't." Trish assured. "You just look like a regular woman wrestler instead of some eye candy, T and A, for the male fans."  
  
Stacy thought about this for a minute. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She grabbed a magazine from the bench and settled back, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach before they announced her entrance.  
  
  
  
OMG! What's gonna happen? Is Stacy gonna kick ass, or get her ass kicked? How many people are going to come out to help her, if any? Who was the mysterious guy who "took care of Victoria"? All these questions plus more answered in the next chapter of 'Stand By You'!  
  
READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!! It honestly means the world to me! 


	6. 6

~*Author's Note*~  
  
Yay, I'm back! *noticing there's no one at the ceremony and shrugs* It's all right. I had fun writing this chapter and I hope you like it. Wasn't really sure how the fighting was going to turn out, seeing as I don't usually write that, but you tell me! The Pretenders own the song. Do me a favor, just read and review.  
  
  
  
"So what do you want me to do tonight when I go out there?"  
  
Victoria glanced at the guy who stood in front of her, studying him critically. She looked over at Steven Richards, who shrugged. "We're just gonna make sure she's never able to set foot in the ring again. Can you do that at least?"  
  
"Not a problem. I've been wanting to get back at her too."  
  
"See, I'm not the only one." She said pointedly. "So everything's set. You're gonna come out during the middle of the match and interfere, we don't really care about getting DQed here, and just go at it."  
  
"But what is she planned to have people come out to help her?" Richards asked, pushing himself off the wall. "How are we supposed to compete with Test and the Dudleys?"  
  
"So glad to hear you guys have faith in yourselves." Victoria snapped. "God damn get a hold of yourselves. Look at you guys, you're like a force to be reckoned with." Just then she got a flash of blinding pain and her hand flew to her head where she had been knocked out.  
  
"Are you okay dear?" Richards asked, rushing over to steady her.  
  
The guy on the other side of the room smirked, and then replaced it with a concerned look as the two looked over at him. "Is everything alright?" He questioned.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Stacy, we need you out there now." A stagehand said briefly from outside the room.  
  
The blonde finished tying her sneakers and glanced at the worried looks of her friends. "Guys, I'm going to be fine." She reassured.  
  
"Oh we know that." Trish supplied. "It's Victoria and the crap she's bound to be plotting that we're worried about."  
  
"I can handle it, I promise." Stacy said, hugging both of them. I hope, she added to herself silently. They insisted on walking her to the curtain and Stacy openly laughed at the crowd that had formed to wish her luck.  
  
Andrew walked up and wrapped his arms around her. "I told them to stay in their rooms but nobody would listen. I guess I don't have the same effect on people any more."  
  
Stacy was about to respond when a hush came over the small crowd and Victoria turned around the corner, being trailed by Steven Richards. She scowled at Stacy and then pushed her way through the people as she was announced first.  
  
D-Von had to hold Bubba back after Richards gave him a cross look.  
  
"Your ass is mine." Bubba muttered as soon as the pair disappeared behind the curtain and Stacy grinned.  
  
Take me in into your darkest hour  
  
And I'll never desert you  
  
I'll stand by you  
  
"Come on, your turn to go out Stacy." The backstage manager instructed from the top of the steps.  
  
Andrew started to follow her up when she stopped and turned around abruptly. "I wanna do this by myself." She said quietly, so only he could hear. "Please?" She pleaded after seeing the questioning look on his face.  
  
"I guess so." He agreed reluctantly. "I'll be watching from here though so in case anything happens I'll be out there like that." He snapped his fingers and watched as she nodded and smile, disappearing behind the curtain.  
  
"I can't believe Test isn't out there with her!" The King crowed, watching Stacy as she walked down the ramp, a purposeful look on her face.  
  
"I think that was a decision she made my herself." JR determined as she walked into the ring. "But she is a very brave girl to be doing something like this."  
  
The King whimpered. "Yeah, or really stupid. I don't want the puppies to get hurt JR. Victoria's I could care less about, but it's Stacy!"  
  
"Okay girls, I want a nice clean match." The referee demanded. He pointed to Richards. "Nothing from you or else you're gonna be out of here."  
  
Stacy took a deep breath and grinned half-heartedly as she saw the encouraging look Lillian gave her from outside the ring. Victoria launched herself at Stacy before the bell rang, immediately giving her the upper hand.  
  
She Irish-whipped Stacy into the corner and was about to go for the suplex when Stacy slammed her with her elbow, making her groggy. She shakily climbed up and dropkicked Victoria from the second turnbuckle, sending the women's champion to the ground. Stacy went for the pin and Victoria kicked out after one.  
  
"Victoria must be getting a little worried." JR commentated. "Stacy's more then just a pretty face now. I heard she was getting some lessons from Trish and Smackdown superstar Edge just to prepare for this match."  
  
The crowd booed as Victoria threw Stacy across the ring by her hair and continued stomping on the recovering diva. Steven Richards jumped on the ring apron and distracted the referee. Victoria took the opportunity to bluntly start choking Stacy. She held on until the referee turned back around, saw what was happening, and pried her off of Stacy.  
  
Stacy leaned back and was trying to catch her breath when she saw Victoria coming back at her. She hastily thought back to what Trish taught her and executed a decent drop toehold; sending Victoria into the bottom turnbuckle, face first. Stacy pulled her to her feet and slammed her head against the turnbuckle, finally getting some momentum. She turned Victoria around and put her foot to her throat, pressing as hard as she could.  
  
Victoria clawed at her boot, gasping for air and the referee tapped Stacy on the shoulder, a warning look on his face. She broke the hold when Victoria's face started to get red and then kicked her in the gut as hard as she could, causing the current champion to double over in pain. Victoria was quick to regain herself and clotheslined Stacy, slamming her to the ground.  
  
"Come on Stacy!" Trish yelled from backstage, her eyes glued to the monitor.  
  
Victoria repeatedly slammed Stacy's head against the mat and then got up, laughing mockingly at the fallen girl. There was a movement in the crowd and Victoria looked over and smirked as she saw Molly jump over the barrier and slid into the ring.  
  
"Want me to get the chair?" Molly asked. Victoria nodded and Molly got out of the ring. She stalked over to the announcer's station and grabbed a vacant chair, sliding it into the ring where it landed near Victoria.  
  
Trish pushed out of the chair, her eyes wide in panic as she ignored the protests and raced out to aid her friend.  
  
Molly followed into the ring and lifted up Stacy's groggy body by her shoulders. Victoria picked up the chair and took a vicious swing at Stacy when she ducked. She heard the metal make contact with Molly, who crumpled to the canvas and she stood up, staring at the shocked expression on Victoria's face. Stacy was about to deliver a DDT when Steven Richards spun her around and did his executed move on her.  
  
Sliding into the ring, Trish kicked Richards's legs out from underneath him and didn't see Victoria coming up from behind until she got slammed down onto the mat.  
  
Victoria helped her boyfriend up and started to grin when she saw the guy standing at the top of them ramp. The audience cheered as RVD sauntered down towards the ring, rolling in lazily. He walked over to Victoria and Richards and reached out his hand for them to shake.  
  
"What's going on?" JR yelled, slamming his fists against the announce table. "This can't be happening, Rob Van Dam can't be siding with those two! It wouldn't be right!"  
  
Trish crawled over to a near-unconscious Stacy and wrapped her arm around her shoulder comfortingly, pulling her up into a sitting position. Stacy opened her eyes slowly and her heart dropped in her chest as she saw RVD approach them, being followed by Victoria and Richards. He stood in front of the two and was poised like he was going to do something to them, but instead spun around quickly, hitting Richards in the side of the head with a roundhouse kick. Victoria's eyes narrowed and she ran after him. Using her own momentum, RVD easily tossed her over the top rope where she landed on the ground in a heap. He helped the two divas up and Stacy pushed away from him and glared at both him and Trish.  
  
"I could have done this by myself!" Stacy yelled, which to the audience seemed that she was mad at them for coming out so late. "None of you have any faith in me!" She quickly exited the ring and picked up Victoria, rolling her back into the ring. Stacy motioned for RVD and Trish to move out of the way and positioned Victoria to deliver a vicious scissor-kick to the back of her head. Stacy grabbed her leg and held on for the pin-count, motioning for the referee to count.  
  
He reluctantly slapped his hand on the mat three times and Stacy's music sounded throughout the arena. She yanked her arm away from the referee and stared down in disdain at Victoria and left the ring before Trish and RVD could say anything.  
  
And when,  
  
When the night falls on you baby  
  
You're feeling all alone  
  
Walking on your own  
  
  
  
Stacy stalked up the ramp and pushed by the curtain. "None of you thought I could do that by myself, did you?" She demanded shrilly of the group waiting for her. There was silence and she pushed past them, tears blinding her vision as she tried to find her locker room. She felt a hand on her shoulder and brushed it off.  
  
"Stace just listen to me." Andrew pleaded, breathing out a frustrated sigh when she stopped but still didn't turn around.  
  
She spun around quickly and caught him off guard. "Tell me the truth." She said, her eyes blazing a hole in his. "Did you think I would win?" The look on his faltered and she laughed bitterly. "Nevermind, I already know."  
  
"I didn't want you to get hurt." Andrew said honestly, his arms falling to his sides.  
  
"I didn't." She whispered. "And I won't. You'll see."  
  
  
  
Ooh, what's Stacy's plan going to be? Is she going to get hurt? And why is everyone so hell-bent on keeping her safe? How will Victoria retaliate? No really, I'm asking you. I have no idea yet. *Whoosh* off to work on 'Dressed to Kill'. READ AND REVIEW!! 


	7. 7

Hey guys! How ya doing out there in the wide world of ff.net? I'm a little frustrated right about now and only a few people know why. I don't wanna get into it right now. I think the next chapter is going to be the last one. So read and enjoy!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Stacy Keibler looked around at the relatively busy backstage and pulled the hood down lower on her head, covering her face from view as she approached the unfamiliar locker room. She raised her hand and knocked lightly then looked around to make sure that nobody was watching.  
  
About two minutes later the door was pulled open to reveal an expectant looking Mark Calloway.  
  
"Hi." She said nervously, holding out her hand, which he shook briefly. "My name is Stacy Keibler-"  
  
"I know who you are." He replied, an amused look on his face. "But what I want to know is what you're doing here, over 500 miles out of your way without the RAW crew."  
  
Stacy adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "Because I kind of needed to talk to you." He didn't respond and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I'm not Stephanie's favorite person right about now so could we talk in your room or someplace a bit more private incase she catches me here?"  
  
Mark raised his eyebrows at her straight-forwardness and held the door open for her. "Sure, not a problem."  
  
"Thanks." Stacy said quietly. She walked past him into the room and braced herself, expecting to see everything in black and leather with the giant motorcycle in the middle of the room, but it wasn't. It was just like every other dressing room in every other arena she's been to; on one side of the room was a small row of lockers and a monitor with a chair in front of it was set up in the corner. His bag was flung on the floor and there was a framed picture of him, his wife, and their new daughter.  
  
"So what did you want besides looking around at my stuff?" He asked dryly, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at the diva impatiently.  
  
Stacy swallowed nervously at his gaze and set the picture back down. "Well, you probably saw my match the other week against Victoria-"  
  
"What makes you think that?" He asked, giving her a curious look.  
  
"Not that I was assuming you do or anything." She rushed out and felt relief wash over her as she saw the knowing smile on his face. "I went out of my way just to find you actually. I need your help with something."  
  
He sat down on the bench and rubbed his hands over his face and then looked at her skeptically. "And what would that be?"  
  
Stacy looked down at the ground and then back up at him when he cleared his throat, silently telling her to do so. "I wanted to know if you'd be willing to let me train with you. I just need some pointers and some serious training." She rushed out as he opened his mouth to respond. "Because I tried to train with Trish and Adam but they're both just light- years ahead of me and even Torrie Wilson has more training then I do. I want to be seen as a serious opponent, not just eye candy." She added in a near-whisper.  
  
"Because you want to kick Victoria's psycho ass at No Mercy?" He asked and her head shot up.  
  
"How did you know we were going to be having a match?" She asked suspiciously.  
  
"After I saw the match on Monday I contacted Steph and asked her what the writers had planned for you guys because I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned a little about the whole angle. So Steph told me that they had planned for you guys to have a match at No Mercy." Mark answered simply in the tone of voice that people knew not to question him. "And I kept telling myself, honest to God, if that Stacy girl wants any chance of winning then she needs to get help.  
  
Her mouth dropped open at the complete bluntness but then felt relieved when she saw his eyes light up "Does this mean you'd be willing to help me train?" Stacy said happily, a smile on her face. Mark nodded reluctantly and she went to give him a hug but saw the look on his face and instead held out her hand to shake. "Thank you Mark. This means so much to me you don't understand."  
  
He looked at the struggling diva that had no clue what really being in the ring meant and felt his heart soften. "Yeah I do." He said, reaching over and ruffling her hair. "Now get outta here and leave me alone, I gotta match to prepare for."  
  
Stacy picked up her bag and grinned at the brief display of affection before turning around to leave. "Just come find me after your match then and we can figure this out." She said briefly, shutting the door behind her.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Andrew looked over at his girlfriend who was sitting next to him on the bus and grinned.  
  
"What?" She asked starting to feel a little self-conscious as she felt his eyes on her.  
  
"You look different for some reason." He noted, setting down the magazine he was reading. "What have you been doing different?"  
  
Stacy shrugged mysteriously. "Just a few more exercises then what I normally do." She looked down as her cell phone started to ring and flipped it open. "Hello? Oh hey, yeah I'm on my way. Okay, I'll see you then, later."  
  
"Who was that?" Andrew asked curiously, peering at the cell phone before she slipped it back into the side-pocket of her bag.  
  
"Mark." Stacy answered non-chalantly as she picked up the magazine he had discarded. "Wouldn't this outfit look cute on me?" She asked him when she saw a look of understanding flash in front of his face.  
  
"Mark? As in Mark the Undertaker?" He said, willing her to shake her head and tell him he was silly to even think of that.  
  
But she didn't and instead looked down, not making eye contact with him. "Yeah, that would be the one who just called."  
  
"But he's on Smackdown." Andrew added, trying to keep his voice from sputtering.  
  
"My little genius." Stacy said with a teasing grin as she pinched his cheeks. "That's also the same guy who comes out the ring on a motorcycle to Limp Bizkit or Kid Rock and choke slams people in case you wanted to ask those questions too."  
  
"Why is he calling you though?" He almost whined out. "I thought you got that new cell phone so nobody would know the number unless you wanted them to and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want Mark to have your number." He trailed off. "Unless you did."  
  
Stacy turned around so she was completely facing him and motioned for him to come closer. "Okay yes, I did give him my number but that's only because he's helping me out in the ring."  
  
"In the ring or in the bed?" Chris Jericho snickered from the seat behind them and he gave Christian a quick high-five.  
  
"I'm gonna kick your ass Jericho." Andrew exclaimed as he turned around to face the former tag-team champions. "Where the hell do you think you get off having any right to say that about her."  
  
"Andrew!" Stacy said as she tried to break the men apart. "Sweetie, calm down." She put her hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "He wants you to get mad, just ignore him." After a few tense seconds he gave Jericho one last look before sitting back down, all remembrance of the conversation they had been having leaving his mind for the time being.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Read and review please so I know that you guys are still out there and okay!  
  
FallenAngel 


	8. 8

I know that took an insanely long amount of time to get out but bare with me. I've been so busy with school and work and family, you can ask anyone I swear it! So, this is the last chapter of this story and I'm letting out this huge sigh of relief now because I can focus almost entirely on my two MS stories-Yay!-I know you guys are bound to be happy about that, or else relieved that I haven't forgotten about them (I haven't!) In fact, I've been working really hard on both 'Sibling' and 'Mardi Gras' so those should both be up sometimes in the next couple of weeks I promise you all!!!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"I can't believe that Stacy managed to gain the upper hand after that horrific display of ability by Victoria." JR managed out, his eyes glued to the monitor. "This is one for the record books folks. You're witnessing history right here."  
  
Stacy Kiebler watched in satisfaction as Victoria lay still on the mat after she delivered a powerful neck-breaker. She played a bit for the crowd, raising her hands in the air at the impending victory. Stacy dragged Victoria closer to the turnbuckles and climbed to the second one.  
  
In one swift motion, Victoria had gotten back up and rushed to meet Stacy on the turnbuckle. The two traded blows and after getting slapped by Stacy, an evil smirk spread over the raven-haired diva's face.  
  
"That was a mistake." She hissed, her eyes blazing. She looked down and quickly picked up the belt Steven Richards held out to her and before the referee could do anything about it, reached around and swung the heavy women's title straight towards Stacy's head. It made contact and almost immediately Stacy blacked out, losing her footing and falling straight into the barricade-  
  
Stacy woke up with a start, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. She shut her eyes for a moment and was trying to get her heartbeat back to normal when she felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped.  
  
"Sweetie, it's just me."  
  
She felt her tension melt as soon as she heard Andrew's soothing voice.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "Stacy, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly when he noticed that she was still trembling.  
  
"Um, it's nothing." She managed out, taking a few deep breaths. "I just had this dream about the match tomorrow and it just startled me, that's all."  
  
"Anything you want to talk about?" Andrew asked gently.  
  
"I think I'm just a little nervous." Stacy confessed leaning over and kissing him on the cheek to try and prove she was all right. "Let's just got back to sleep; tomorrow is going to be a long day."  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Do you think you're ready for this?" Mark Calloway asked Stacy almost as soon as she stepped foot backstage.  
  
"If I wasn't ready then these past couple of weeks have been a complete waste." She joked, trying to force a smile as she threw her compact bag over one shoulder.  
  
"You'll be fine out there kid." Mark assured gruffly, nodding to emphasis his point. "Just remember everything that I taught you and you should be the one getting your arm raised at the end of the match."  
  
"Yeah, hopefully I won't be the one that they have to carry out on a stretcher." She muttered, then saw the look that he was giving her. "Are you going to be watching?" Stacy asked him curiously as they began walking down the busy and cluttered hallway.  
  
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He promised, stopping in front of his locker room. "Good luck." He said, disappearing into the room without another word.  
  
Stacy smiled as he shut the door and it fell when she saw Victoria approaching her at a rapid pace.  
  
"Hope you're ready for the match!" Victoria called out once she was close enough to be heard. "God knows you'll be needing all the help that you can get."  
  
"Oh I'm ready." Stacy countered. "But the question is are you?" She asked and then brushed by an open-mouthed Victoria with a satisfied smile on her face.  
  
Stacy pushed the door open to the girl's locker room and dropped her bags onto the ground lazily, taking a quick and silent inventory of who was there.  
  
"What's up Stace?" Trish asked, her back turned as she kept on rummaging through one of her numerous bags. "You ready for the match of a lifetime?" She pressed on, sitting back triumphantly as she found the shirt she had spent a good portion of the day looking for.  
  
"Know what? I think I actually might be." Stacy replied, laying out her outfit on the bench next to her. After much deliberation and consulting with Torrie and Trish, she had decided on a pair of short red shorts and a short black halter-top that went around and tied in the front. She pulled on her favorite pair of black boots and brushed her hair back into a ponytail just as her name was being called over the announce system backstage.  
  
"Good luck Sweetie." Trish said, giving her a tight hug before letting her go and watching her walk out of the room. "She'll be fine, right?" She asked Molly, who was watching the scene silently.  
  
"I think so." Molly agreed finally. "Did you know that she's been training with Mark for the past couple of weeks or so?"  
  
"I didn't know that!" Trish exclaimed, a surprised look on her face. "Oh she should be fine then."  
  
"Better then how she did when she got trained by you and Adam, right?" Molly teased, and then started laughing as she ducked to avoid getting hit with the elbow pad Trish had flung in her direction.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
".And from Baltimore, Maryland, the challenger, Stacy Kiebler!"  
  
Stacy took a deep breath and pushed through the curtain as she heard the audience screaming and cheering for her. She began walking down the ramp and couldn't help but smile as the fans waved their signs around frantically, desperate for her to catch a glimpse of theirs.  
  
Victoria scowled from inside the ring as Stacy approached and had to be held back by the referee just so the blonde could enter the ring.  
  
The first thing the referee did once both girls were inside was turn to Steven Richards and tell him to go backstage, that he wasn't needed out here.  
  
Victoria watched helplessly as the security ushered him backstage and Stacy took the opportunity to launch herself at her unsuspecting opponent, knocking her to the ground with a powerful clothesline. She grabbed the girl's knee and applied all of her weight down on it, causing Victoria's face to contort in pain.  
  
She managed to reverse the move and kicked Stacy in the stomach with both feet, sending her staggering back. Victoria pulled herself back up and Irish-whipped Stacy against the turnbuckle. She ran at her and Stacy met her with an elbow to the face. Stacy grabbed Victoria's arm and twisted it over her head, then kicked her in the side and slapped her for good measure. Victoria blocked her next blow and grabbed her by the hair and head and threw her over to the other side of the ring. She rushed over and tried to pin her but only managed to get a two-count.  
  
Stacy held the back of her head and winced. She looked up in time to see Victoria rushing at her and put her feet up. Planting them firmly against her stomach, she used Victoria's momentum against her and Stacy flung her over, causing the champion to land a couple of feet away. Stacy managed her way over and straddled Victoria's stomach. She grabbed her hair and began pounding her head against the mat, letting go only when the referee convinced her that ten times had been enough.  
  
Stacy reached up and brushed some hair away from her face and looked on as the referee went over to make sure that Victoria was all right and could continue with the match. Victoria pushed the referee out of the way and launched herself at Stacy, whose back was turned so she could see the audience. She knocked her to the ground and began kicking her viciously in the head and stomach area. She climbed to the top of the turnbuckle and, after signaling to the crowd, dove off into a moonsault and connected, knocking the wind out of Stacy. She hooked her leg and went to cover her when Stacy made one last desperate attempt and put her foot on the bottom rope.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"She's doing good out there." D-Von Dudley commented to whoever would listen to him. He looked up just in time to see a hurried looking Steven Richards rush past the room and towards the curtain. He got out of his seat and was about to run towards him when another figure emerged from behind the half-wall that had been set up.  
  
"Where do you think you're off to?" Bubba asked languidly, gripping Richard's shoulder. "It couldn't have been to go help out Victoria, could it?"  
  
Richards shook his head instantly. "Nope, just wanted to get a good view of the match."  
  
"Oh no need to go all the way out there." D-Von said as he approached the two. "You can sit right over here with Bubba and myself." He smirked at his half-brother over the head on the man who was presently scared out of his mind.  
  
"Um, alright guys." He stammered out. "Thanks a lot."  
  
"Don't worry about it; it's our pleasure." Bubba said mockingly as the two half-brothers led the other man to their room to watch the match.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"Are you continuing the match? Can you continue the match?" The referee asked a near-unconscious Stacy after Victoria's non-stop onslaught of moves that looked like they came straight from Stone Cole Steve Austin himself.  
  
Stacy nodded weakly and was promptly met with a boot to the face by her pit bull of an opponent.  
  
"I told you that you could never beat me." Victoria hissed as she twisted her arm in a way that it wasn't supposed to be twisted. "And then after this match you're going to have to be punished for trying to get away like you have, but also for whatever your friends are doing to my precious Stevie."  
  
"There's no way I'm going to let you do that to me again." Stacy spat out and Victoria responded immediately with a slap to the face. "No matter what you say or do to me." Stacy added as she pushed Victoria off of her stomach, catching the Women's Champion off guard. She quickly got back to her feet and threw her into the turnbuckle, backhanding Victoria in time with the cheers from the crowd. She got a flash of inspiration from her lessons with Mark and grabbed Victoria's arm and pulled herself up onto the top turnbuckle.  
  
"What does Stacy this she's doing?" JR crowed, watching the 5'11 blonde steady herself on the top turnbuckle and then proceed to walk along the top rope. She stopped when she heard the screaming and yelling from the crowd and grinned to herself before leaping off the rope, crashing her elbow into Victoria's waiting arm.  
  
Never expecting that from the used to be hapless blonde, Victoria grabbed her arm as the pain shot through it and dropped to the ground, still grasping her arm.  
  
Stacy smiled to herself proudly and knew that Mark would've liked that; her very own ode to him. She picked Victoria up and positioned her before any more celebrating could be done. Taking a deep breath, Stacy bounced off of the closest rope and delivered a vicious scissor-kick to the back of Victoria's head, causing her to crumple to the ground. Stacy dove to the ground and hooked Victoria's leg, her smile getting bigger as the referee got closer to three and when she heard the cheers from the crowd and her music begin to play, she knew she had done it. She'd broken the ties that had held her in place for so long; almost five tormented months.  
  
She held her arms in the air in celebration and tried getting her breathing back to normal as the adrenaline shot through her body. She made her way slowly back up the ramp, pausing every so often to see Victoria struggling to get up, the look on her face pure evil.  
  
As soon as she stepped through the curtain Andrew's arms encircled her waist and swung her around, a huge smile on his face.  
  
"I knew that you could do it." He said finally. "I was just so surprised when you did some of those moves. Honestly, I didn't think that you had it in you Stace."  
  
"I did." A voice from behind him said with a light tone to his voice. The happy couple turned around to see Mark Calloway standing there, a proud look on his face. "And I loved that little-what was it-ode to me?" He guessed and Stacy blushed.  
  
"Hey, whatever helped me win the match I guess? I think I'm gonna start using that more often; it's a very effective move."  
  
"Thanks. That was my aim when I came up with it." Mark replied dryly. "I have a match to go get ready for but whenever you need some help just pick up the phone and give me a call, you know the number." He added before walking away in the direction of his locker room.  
  
Andrew, who had been watching the whole interaction between the two in silence finally pushed back from his place on the wall and stepped in front of Stacy as Victoria pushed back through the curtain.  
  
"I got it." Stacy said gently, placing a hand on his arm. "What do you want?" She asked reluctantly as she approached them.  
  
"I just wanted to talk to you." Victoria said her voice void of any sarcasm or evil for once. "In private if you don't mind." She added in Andrew's direction.  
  
He walked away in search of someone to talk to after getting an assured look from Stacy.  
  
"That was a killer match." Victoria said finally, making it seem like she had to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything she'd regret.  
  
"Yeah, I guess it was." Stacy answered reluctantly. "What do you want?" She repeated boldly after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.  
  
"I just wanted to congratulate you." Victoria responded slowly. "I never in a million years thought you'd have it in you to put on a match like that; I was wrong about you and I'm sorry."  
  
"And." Stacy pressed on, holding her hand out to the dark-haired diva. "I believe you have something for me."  
  
Victoria nodded. "Yeah I have them; they're in my locker room. Just let me go get them and I'll be right back." She promised, disappearing into a nearby room.  
  
Stacy looked around at everyone crowded in the corridor and some of the superstars were giving her strange looks after seeing her talk with Victoria. Her mind had just started to think about something else when Victoria stood in front of her and cleared her throat, holding out a small manila envelope which Stacy took immediately.  
  
"Are they all in here?" Stacy demanded suspiciously, quickly leafing through the contents of the envelope and she looked up as she waited for the girl's response.  
  
"I promise you that they're all in there." Was Victoria's response as she looked on.  
  
She breathed a sigh of relief when she was convinced that she finally had all the pictures back in her hands and her hands only. "So then I guess I'll talk to you later sometime."  
  
"Sure." Victoria answered lightly. "Just as soon as I find someone new to torment." She added in a joking tone of voice, walking back towards her room with a parting wave.  
  
Stacy watched her walk back and heard the joking tone, but for some reason she had the feeling Victoria wasn't joking at all and would hold true to her word; soon enough there would be someone else in the company for her to torment and make their life a living hell for no apparent reason other then she had it in with some private investigators and had way too much time on her hands.  
  
It had to have been something other then that, Stacy reasoned to herself, tucking the pictures securely into the side pocket of her purse.  
  
"Are you ready to go yet?" Andrew asked, coming over to her as soon as he saw she was alone again and Stacy nodded as they began walking together. "Is everything all right? What did that psycho want?" He asked curiously.  
  
"It was nothing." Stacy dismissed quickly with a wave of her hand. "It's all over, that's all that matters." She slipped her hand in his and grinned at the assured look on his face and the heavy sigh he let out. "Yes, watching over me must have taken a lot out of you." She teased, poking him in the side.  
  
Andrew gave her an exaggerated look of hurt. "It really did, you're a hard person to look after."  
  
"I'll vouch for that." Trish added with a smile, coming up and walking besides the two. "That was a killer match. I was so proud of you through the whole thing." She suddenly narrowed her eyes at the sudden thought. "How come you felt the need to go train with Mark though? Was training with Adam and myself not enough for you?" She paused, stopping the barrage of questions.  
  
"It's not that-" Stacy started and Trish cut her off with a sniff.  
  
"Adam!" Trish yelled loud enough in a pathetic tone of voice. "Adam! Stacy never appreciated what we did for her!"  
  
"That's not true." Stacy protested but Trish flounced off, turning around briefly to flash her best friend a smile and a wink as she went off to go find her fellow Canadian.  
  
"They should all just stay up north." Stacy muttered to herself, pulling her blonde hair back into a ponytail and then letting it fall back over her shoulders.  
  
"All of them?"  
  
Stacy's hand flew to her mouth as soon as she realized what she just said to and about her boyfriend. "I didn't mean it about you though." She assured quickly after seeing the skeptical look on his face. "Oh shut up, I didn't really offend you, did I?" She asked quickly upon realizing she still wasn't getting a response from him.  
  
He finally broke out into a grin when he saw the distressed look on his face. "I know, I was just messing around with you."  
  
"That was so not nice." She scolded him, and then stopped walking when she got in front of Eric Bischoff's office. "Here." She said, tossing Andrew her purse. "Hold this for me and I should be out in a few minutes." She gave him no room to argue and shut the door behind her.  
  
Andrew barely caught the purse from Stacy's girlie throw and cursed under his breath as an envelope fell out, scattering a few pictures over the floor. "Hope she didn't treasure them that much." He commented lightly to himself, picking up some of the few that were scattered near him, and then almost dropping everything else when he saw the first picture that was in his hand.  
  
It was his girlfriend all right, doing-Andrew shook his head in shock and disgust and flipped the picture over. It simply read 'Thanks Stacy!' His hands shook as he scanned over the rest, his knees feeling weaker and weaker underneath him until he had to hold onto the wall before he collapsed.  
  
"But she wouldn't." Andrew reasoned out loud but his inner voice was prompt to tell him otherwise. "Okay, she doesn't know that I saw these. I can pretend like I never saw those or something and be scarred for the rest of my life." He groaned in frustration at the idea and quickly stuffed the pictures back into the envelope as he saw the door to Bischoff's door start to open.  
  
"Thanks Eric!" Stacy said as she stepped out of the office, a smile on her face.  
  
"Anytime Stacy and thank you!" Their boss replied and she shut the door, turning to her boyfriend.  
  
"All ready to go?" She asked and he had to do everything in his power not to shudder at the interaction Stacy and Eric had just had.  
  
He swallowed dryly and nodded. "Sure, let's get out of here. I need some fresh air before I pass out or something."  
  
"Why, don't you feel good?" Stacy asked worriedly, pushing the door open as she stepped through it first and out into the sunshine.  
  
"Something like that." Andrew muttered, still not feeling like he could look her straight in the eye as she walked besides him, a happy smile on her and he sighed. "But as long as she feels better about everything. There's no need to bring this up." He said to himself quietly, helping her into the car and shutting the door. "Yet."  
  
*~*~The End~*~*  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Please read and review!!! I'd really appreciate it you guys, I love you all!! Some more then others but they know who they are so I won't name any names!  
  
--FallenAngel-- e 


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